In So Dark
by PansyParkinslut
Summary: AU 7th year: Harry's never heard of a Horcrux, The Trio gets resorted and split across the houses *evil cackle* the rest is inside :P *Stuff subject to Change *I will bring anyone and everyone back with appropriate cover stories of course. yes this will take a slightly different turn than i had originally Planned and a new summery will find it's way into the making eventually.


Chapter One

Hermione smiled to herself as she finished putting her textbooks in her trunk; she would still desperately miss Dumbledore, but she couldn't help but admit that she was always more fond of Professor McGonagall. Taking one last look around her room, she saw Crookshanks curled up in his crate, her school robes neatly folded on top of her satchel and her wand just off to the side. With a nod of approval, Hermione closed her trunk and grabbed her wand; shrinking it down to about the size of a chocolate frog, she stuffed it in her pocket before grabbing her robes and throwing her small bag over her shoulder before grabbing the crate.

Closing her bedroom door as she stepped out into the hall, Hermione skipped down the stairs to her front door, "Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" she called, opening the door to the nice summer air, "I'll see you next summer!" All but jumping out onto her porch, she quickly closed the door before looking around and apparating to the Burrow with a soft _Pop_.

Ever since Hermione'd found out she was a witch, she'd slowly started pulling away from her parents; it wasn't that she didn't love them- she did, immensely- it was just that she didn't want to let them down. When she'd first received her letter when she was eleven, her parents never really understood what it meant; they still expected her to grow up and get a normal muggle job and marry a normal muggle man and have normal muggle children.

A lot had happened recently and with Dumbledore's recent death, Hermione was just happy that they still had a Hogwarts to return too. McGonagall was probably hit the hardest by the headmaster's death; all the times Hermione's seen her since his funeral, she couldn't help but notice just how old the new Headmistress was looking. Her eyes were dull, her hair wasn't pulled back in its usual tight bun; but the thing that worried Hermione the most was that Professor McGonagall no longer had her signature stern scowl on her face.

Hermione sighed when the familiar rustic gate of the Burrow came into view; the war had been tough on everyone, particularly the Weasley's. Looking up at the crumbling roof, she could see the scorch marks from where parts of the original Burrow had been salvaged.

She could see Mrs. Weasley bustling around in the kitchen; she could see Harry, Ginny and Ron swooping on their brooms over at their homemade Quidditch pitch; she could hear Mr. Weasley tinkering about in his shed. Feeling a wave of normality wash over her, she made her way down the worn path towards the old kitchen door.

"Hermione, dear," called Mrs. Weasley, pulling her into a hug as she stepped into the room, "Breakfast is almost ready, why don't you go grab Ginny and the boys, yeah?"

"Of course Mrs. Weasley," Hermione smiled, backing out of the kitchen towards the yard after setting her things down. Stepping around the rusty cauldrons littered around the door, she made her way through the bramble strung garden and over to the tree line that blocked most of the pitch from the small muggle town nearby.

Poking her head around a tree, the old rugged pitch came into view just in time to see Ginny catch their home-made snitch right under Harry's nose, "You let her do that!" she exclaimed, trotting down to the middle of the field.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron coursed together, "When did you get here?" Ginny asked, landing next to her and pulling her into a hug not unlike her mother's.

"Just a moment ago, Mrs. Weasley said breakfast is ready." Trekking back to the Burrow, Hermione smiled as she chatted with her friends. With every step she took, she felt better and better about the year to come.

oOo

Luging her truck down the platform Hermione could hear Mrs. Weasley yelling at Ron and Ginny behind her. Glancing at harry out of the corner of her eye, they shared a grin before finding their usual compartment.

The train ride was quitter than usual and Hermione spent the majority of it watching the country side fly by through the window. Every now and then she would have to poke her head out into the corridor as Head Girl, but other than that they rarely moved. Ron ordered his usual sweets and Ginny popped by to say hi to Harry; she let Crookshanks out to stretch, but even he could feel the ominous mood and merely curled up to continue his nap.

As the train pulled into the station Hermione took a deep breath and descended from the train. Looking around the crowd, she frowned when she noticed that there was only a dull murmur rising from the other students. Filing into the great hall, Hermione nudged Harry and nodded towards the high table. Every teacher had the same tight mouthed, nervous look to them. Even Professor Trelawney and she's usually oblivious to everything.

Sitting down between Ron and Harry, she bit back a smile; she'd never admit it, but she thought their subconscious ways of trying to protect her were adorable, she knew she could take them both in a dual. After a few moments, they forgot about the professors as the food appeared and eat in a peaceful near silence. It wasn't until they heard Professor McGonagall tapping her glass that they looked back up.

"At the end of the last school year we were faced with the terrible death of the Headmaster, and a dear friend of mine," she began, with a subtle glance around the room. Hermione narrowed her eyes as she continued; she'd deny it tooth and nail, but she was willing to bet that she knew more about what was going on last year than the headmaster did. "Many of you were worried that this school would be another casualty of the war, but we were lucky that the ministry has allowed us to remain open in these difficult times."

Hermione felt Harry shift next to her and knew she wasn't the only one to sense there was something coming. "And so it is with great sorrow that I stand before you today and tell you that they were wrong."

"I have indeed managed to take over the school," a familiar voice sounded from the shadows and Hermione could only shake her head. She felt both Ron and Harry sprang up around her and wands everywhere came into view. With a small sigh, she rested her head in her hand and watched as everyone suddenly froze as their wands were ripped from their hands and went flying over towards the voice. Voldemort.

**A/N: Yes I finally finished the chapter, and over the next few days/week I will be trying to update all my fics at least once as well as get out one or two one-shots I have in the works…**


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